End of an era - Shropshire Council's Shirehall shuts to staff after nearly 60 years
It is the end of an era for Shropshire Council after the authority today closed Shirehall to staff for the final time.
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The decision to shut the Shrewsbury headquarters, which has been long in the making, accelerated in recent weeks amid the council's ongoing financial crisis.
The council said that staff would be working from home until there is space available at Guildhall in Frankwell in the coming weeks.
Public meetings, which have taken place in committee rooms and the council chamber at Shirehall since the 1960s, will continue at the Abbey Foregate building for now, with plans to move them to Guildhall from September.
Shropshire Council has been committed to leaving Shirehall since 2021.
Campaigners, who want the building preserved, have hailed the civic base as a 'modernist icon', but efforts to prevent any future demolition were thwarted when the government granted a certificate of immunity from listing - effectively preventing the building being granted protected status.
It means that once the council has fully left the site it will be able to sell the building and the land to developers - without a requirement for them to keep the historic building in place.
One of the key reasons behind the decision to leave the building is down to its cost - while the authority has also not been able to use the upper three floors for some time due to the potential fire risk.
